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Saturday, January 23, 2016

CHICAGO, IL –
Chicago-based The Habitat Company, a leading multifamily property developer and
manager in the United States and the largest property manager for the Chicago
Housing Authority (CHA), was this year’s recipient of the Good Neighbor Award
by The Cara Program, a Chicago-based charitable organization focused on helping
individuals affected by homelessness and poverty through job training and
coaching.

Since Habitat first
partnered with The Cara Program in 2009, the company has employed 88 Cara
students, and currently has a one-year retention rate of more than 76 percent.
This is Habitat’s first time winning the Good Neighbor Award.

Matt Fiascone,
president of The Habitat Company, accepted the award at a recent luncheon
honoring employed Cara students and the corporate and community partners that
have been instrumental in their success.

“We are so proud to be a
part of the great work The Cara Program does for Chicago residents,” said
Fiascone. “The partnership is truly a mutually beneficial relationship. Cara
students are presented with a meaningful job opportunity and Habitat gains
access to a pool of employees who have had best-in-class job training and
demonstrated a commitment to working hard to achieve their goals. We see it as
a win-win for both sides.”

Matthew Fiascone

One Cara graduate who benefited from the
program was Crystal Davis Owens, a
current Habitat employee who was on hand at the ceremony.

Owens was hired by
Habitat in 2010 as an administrative assistant at the Lidia Pucinska
Apartments, one of Habitat’s CHA-managed public housing communities. In just
five years, she has risen through the ranks to her current role as property
manager at a 357-unit CHA community on Chicago’s north side.

“I am so grateful to The
Cara Program and Habitat for giving me the opportunity to grow, both personally
and professionally, through training, hard work and dedication,” said Owens.

“Crystal is just one
brilliant example of why we support the Cara Program,” said Fiascone. “The
training she received through The Cara Program, coupled with her own drive to
succeed, has made Crystal a very valued member of the Habitat team. We look
forward to continuing this partnership for many years to come.”